Question about mini balls?

[Fly]

We all know the ole 1861 Springfield rifles were very accurate for that day. I was reading
they had a 1 in 78 twist. I also know the rifling was deep. With that said I have a few
rifles with 1 in 66 twist but much shallower rifling for PRB. Can a mini be shot from
one of these with decent accuracy?

Fly:coffeecom

[Vann]

I have a newer one with 1 in 66 twist that is accurate enough to hit a 12 x 12 steel plate at 150 yards almost every shot offhand. At 100 it gives about a 3-4" group off the bench with a Lee mini. I use it deer hunting at least once a year. Is that accurate enough? This is from a Euroarms Zouave reproduction.

[mooman76]

Usually a minie works better with shallow rifling but try and see.

[bedbugbilly]

It all depends on your definition of "deep" . . but the rifling in a rifled musket was not exceptionally deep as compared to conventional round ball barrels. And, most rifled muskets (not all) had the traditional 3 groove rifling as compared to what is found in most RB barrels.

That said . . There are many who seem to have good luck with such boolits as the "maxi ball" out of a slower twist barrel. In essence . . . the only way you'll know is to try it in your individual rifle and see how it works.

Many years ago, I participated in a long range 1,000 meter range shoot at Camp Grayling in MI. We used the 1,000 meter machine gun range with pop up/knock down targets at ranges of 50 meters out to 1,000 meters. We had two man teams - took turns shooting with one shooting and the other as spotter. All types of rifled muskets were used including reproductions and originals as well as Civil War carbines. My partner and I were using a 3 band Enfield, a Mississippi Rifle, a Zouave and an original 1864 Watertown (1861 pattern). The targets measured approximately 24" X 48". We had good success out to about 500 meters - but of course at longer ranges, had to figure elevation and windage as well. Beyond the 500 meters, there was a definate drop in "hits". We were all N-SSA shooters and on of the fellows had a Smith Carbine. He found that he could do fairly well on the 100 and 200 meters targets but at 300 meters, it was luck if he hit. And we were all experienced shooters - I, at that time, had been shooting rifled musket for close to 30 years.

At 1,000 meters, there was a full size steel plate cut out of a man on horseback. That was the crowning glory if you could hit that and hear it. Try as we might, we never hit it with a rifled musket. BUT, one of the fellows had a reproduction 44 Henry - one of the first reproductions made - and he hit it numerous times. I figured he hit it approximately 75 to 80 percent of his shots. Of course it was by using "kentucky windage" but he did it. And we all ended up having a good laugh about it as he was hitting it so consistent and all of us were having problems with the rifled musket - a few hit it but not many. It was quite an eye opener for us all. One of the fellows had a report "Whitworth" which a number of us played with It was a fairly new reproduction and the owner had not had a chance to shoot it much but it proved to be a very accurate rifle and if I remember correctly, it die well out to the 800 meter target, tipping it many times.

Don't take my comment about the rifling on the rifled musket and it's depth as "nit picking" or critical - it's not intended that way. The rifling for a minie ball is what I would call more "shallow" as it needs to be. The skirt of a minie ball is thin and when the rifle is fired, it has to expand into the rifling in order to form a good gas seal and to grip the rifling. If the rifling is "deep", there is not enough thickness in the skirt to fill deep rifling and not "blow the skirt" of the minie ball.

On your RB barrels - if you can find a "minie ball" - i'e. a hollow base that will expand in to the rifling - give it a try and see how it does. If not, then go with the "maxi ball" design which is a solid base but designed so that the rings, when introduced into the bore, conform to the rifling - when fired, the pressure expands it even more to form a good gas seall. I'm getting ready to try the same thing in a 45 cal. H & A under hammer - just to see how well it works and to what range. You might be surprised at the results - worst case scenario is that you find it won't and then you can go back to your round ball.

Good luck and if you try it - I hope you'll post about how it worked and what your results are. :-)

[Fly]

Some great info bedbugbilly. (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?32430-bedbugbilly) I have always wondered about doing this but never have. Be leave it or not, I do own a Gibbs.
But here in east Okla have know where to shoot that bad boy out very past 100 yards & plan to take it out to Az when I visit my son.

I have never owned a musket but will some day I hope.
Fly (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/sendmessage.php?do=mailmember&u=32430)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/statusicon/user-offline.png

[Good Cheer]

The mid 1800's testing showed that the .58 caliber 48" twist rifled muskets had the edge in long range accuracy over the slower twists (such as the P53). The larger .69 caliber had the edge in accuracy over the .58 at long range at the time of the tests I've read about... but that doesn't mean it was better than the .58 in 48" twist.
Lots of variables.